Lights
by Nintendian
Summary: Fame is always ephemeral, or so they say. - Elesa & Skyla.


**Notes:** Drew inspiration from the song "Lights" by Ellie Goulding.

...

**Lights**

(she can't live without them)

...

_I had a way then losing it all on my own _  
_I had a heart then but the queen has been overthrown_

* * *

Sometimes, it seems like only seconds ago she was sitting on a majestic throne, surrounded by a roaring crowd, her adoring puppets. But in one painful, delicate heartbeat, she tumbled from her pedestal in the sky and found herself plummeting back down to the earth below, stripped of all her power and beauty.

Skyla tells her not to think about it too much, but that's easy for her to say. She stands confident and sure-footed on the ground, and besides, she has the freedom to go wherever she wants, whenever she feels like it. Though Elesa doesn't like to be sentimental, sometimes she envies Skyla, who can soar through the air and feel the breeze on her face, not having to worry about anything at all.

Even for someone like Elesa, it can't help but feel like a fall from grace.

* * *

_And I'm not sleeping now the dark is too hard to beat _  
_And I'm not keeping now the strength I need to push me_

* * *

After two weeks and a day, Elesa moves to Accumula Town, located in a generally ignored corner of Unova. It is a nice place, she thinks, albeit small. Once, she would have found it too rustic for someone like herself, but now she has learned to appreciate the unique beauty of the countryside. It is so much more peaceful and idyllic than the big city, and here she loves just watching the world go by. One day, when Skyla visits her, they lay and watch the clouds drifting in the endless blue expanse that is the afternoon sky.

"You know, you should try flying up into the clouds sometime," Elesa says, idly picking at a strand of grass and pointing up at the sky with her other hand. "Just to see what's up there."

"I thought you weren't one for melodramatics," the other girl replies with a snort, always the first to speak her mind.

At this, the blonde raises a perfect, arched eyebrow. "Really, now, Skyla. Am I?"

Skyla laughs, and it is as vibrant and melodious as Elesa remembers it to be. "You've always been stubborn, haven't you?"

* * *

_You show the lights that stop me turn to stone _  
_You shine it when I'm alone_

* * *

But after a while, Skyla stops visiting because, after all, she is still a Gym Leader with a busy, hectic schedule. And Elesa becomes bored, so very bored. Without the excitement of Nimbasa City, she doesn't know how to spend her spare time anymore, and for the first time she wonders how she will continue to live without fame. She can't help but remember her life before, full of the most exclusive all-night parties, Gym Leader by day and celebrity supermodel by night, heroine to people across the whole of Unova. Now she just feels empty.

She watches the seasons go by with indifference, sees the leaves on the trees go from green to orange to red and eventually falling off the trees in lazy, languid trails, and wonders what to do with her life.

* * *

_And so I tell myself that I'll be strong _  
_And dreaming when they're gone_

* * *

Skyla hasn't come to see her in months.

Now it is winter and lately, she has been cold, oh so cold. She can see her breath in the misty puffs of air that evaporate almost as quickly as she exhales, not to mention she can't feel her own hands anymore. Her whole body is numb, frozen to the point where she thinks her soul is about to leave her body and float off into the icy night.

She lets out a sigh and rubs her hands together, trying to warm herself up. It has been ages since she has actually been warm, and she doesn't know if she remembers who she even is anymore. Her eyelids are getting heavier by the second now and a drowsy sensation is beginning to come over her. She yawns, thinking it would be nice to fall asleep.

"Elesa? What are you doing out here?"

Her identity comes flooding back to her as a girl approaches, with long chestnut brown hair whipping around in the wind. It is like the sun has come back into her life, golden rays spreading throughout her and filling her with warmth.

"Honestly." The brunette puts her hands on her hips, and even though Elesa can't see her expression, she can hear the reproach in her voice. She imagines the other girl shaking her head in disapproval, like some worried mother, and a smile makes its way to her lips.

* * *

_Cause they're calling, calling, calling me home _  
_Calling, calling, calling home_

* * *

She goes outside to dance in the falling snow and returns with ghostly pale skin, dead eyes, and a beaming smile on her face. She has a feeling Skyla won't be very pleased with her, but that doesn't stop her anyway.

The cold starts in her hands and works its way upward, spreading through her whole body and stealing away any sensations of warmth or feeling. It claws its way up to her head, where it freezes her brain and leaves her with nightmarish hallucinations and blood-red eyes.

She doesn't know if she is dead or alive anymore.

* * *

_You show the lights that stop me turn to stone _  
_You shine it when I'm alone_

* * *

That night, she dreams of Skyla, but in a place far, far away. They are high up in the clouds, in a place she didn't know existed, in a world she has almost forgotten. For a second she thinks she is back on her throne in the heavens. It would be so pure, so peaceful, up here if Skyla wasn't reprimanding her again:

"I told you, Elesa, look what you've done to yourself. If only you'd listened to me, we wouldn't be where we are now."

_It's too late for that, though,_ she thinks, and merely smiles in response.

* * *

_Noises, I play within my head _  
_Touch my own skin and hope that I'm still breathing_

...

**Author's Note:**

In case you didn't get it, Elesa eventually decides she can't continue to live without fame. Yeah... I know, kind of a depressing story, but I really enjoyed writing this, so yeah. I've always wondered what fame does to people, and this is my interpretation. I think that even someone as cool and composed as Elesa can eventually break down because of it. I'm sorry this is so messed-up, but I'd love if you would leave a review and tell me what you thought! :D


End file.
